October Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - Very Merry Christmas

I know, it's only October and we're already talking about Christmas.  What are we, a department store?  Well, if you like to make homemade cards, crafts and gifts for Christmas, now IS the time to start.  And what better way to get inspiration than from completing the CTMH SOTM blog hop?!

Thanks for visiting from the talented Susan Brooks' blog.  Close To My Heart is offering Very Merry Christmas, a little gem of a stamp set for October's Stamp of the Month.  I love the sentiments and how the classic images work perfectly with the Artiste Cricut cartridge.  With a qualifying order of $50 or more, you can get this stamp set for just $5!

 

 

Very Merry Christmas inspired me to make two sweet, but simple, Christmas cards.  My first card has rounded corners and Color-Ready Seam Binding Ribbon (Z1732) that I dyed Cocoa, with a few Bitty Sparkles (Z1263) to brighten it up.  I cut out the shapes using my Cricut Artiste cartridge.  The Cashmere cardstock was cut at 3 inches (3D Object, Shift, <%>).  The green B&T paper was cut using the same buttons and functions, but at 3 1/2 inches.  Did you know that the latest My Acrylix Stamp Sets include the CTMH Cricut cartridge the images coordinate with, the size they should be cut at and the page number to find the image?  Love it!!!

 

 

I love adding a sentiment inside the card.  The set comes with "Wishing you a season filled with sweetness."  I only inked the "Wishing you" part of that sentiment in New England Ivy and then stamped "A Very Merry CHRISTMAS" below it in Cranberry ink.  I like how it turned out!

 



The next card I cut out with the Art Philosophy cartridge (Card at 4 inches) using New England Ivy cardstock.  I cut out the mittens with Artiste and then stamped them with cranberry.  To give them a "fuzzy" look, I immediately dabbed them with some flocking powder after I stamped each one.  I added some Sparkles (Z1752) to the center of the mittens and tied them together with some Cranberry Baker's Twine (Z1751).  I cut off the bottom of a 3 1/2 inch circle to stamp the sentiment, Warmest Wishes in New England Ivy.  I curved the stamp to follow the shape of the ornament.  For a video tutorial on how to do that, click here.

 

 

Inside the card, I cut out a 3 1/2 inch circle using Art Philosophy and stamped Christmas Cheer in the center.

 



 

I hope I've inspired you to start working on your Christmas cards.  Now, head on over to my good friend, Scrapi Traci,'s blog to see what fabulous creations she's come up with for you!

Six Weeks of Halloween - Week 2

Countdown to Halloween!

Do your kids ask, "How many days until...?"  Mine do, about ten times a day, no lie.  How many days until the weekend?  How many days until our cousin comes?  How many days until Chistmas, my birthday, ahhhhhhh!!!  It makes me crazy sometimes.  So, I've eliminated one of those questions (how many days until Halloween?) with these:

I love these cute little blocks that count down the days until Halloween!  Each side is covered in a few scraps leftover from the Moonlight Workshop on the Go, has spooktacular stamping, a few embellishments and a number (cut from CTMH Art Philosophy Cartridge on the Cricut and adhered to a Dimensional Element Number). 

If you're already doing the workshop, all you need to purchase are just two My Creations Blocks (Z1746) and the DE Numbers (Z1681).  Photos for each side of the blocks can be found on Close To My Heart's website under Ideas and Inspiration, Workshops on the Go, Moonlight Bonus Project or by clicking here.

Want a free tutorial on the four scrapbook pages on Moonlight?  I'm hosting the awesome Moonlight Workshop on October 9th at 7 p.m. and again on October 23rd at 9 a.m.  Let me know if you're interested!

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La Belle Vie Birthday Card

The beautiful life.  Isn't that a great name for a paper pack, a great way to approach each day, even?

Tomorrow night a dear friend is hosting a gathering for me and I wanted to have a pretty card for the make-and-take.  She and her husband are going to Paris in a few weeks so I just knew La Belle Vie bulk paper was the way to go.  And, who can't use another birthday card to send to a friend?

 

 

 

I used the new Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon and the Colonial White Rosette Ribbon on this card.  I simply trimmed the rosettes from the ribbon to add as individual flowers.  Since many of the guests are not crafters (yet!), I wanted something simple and three dimensional to add to the card.  As easy as I think the Cricut Art Philosphy flowers are to roll, I didn't want to overwhelm someone new to crafting.  Voila!  These rosettes were the perfect solution.  The sentiment is from the Cricut Artiste Collection.  Did you know you get three D-size stamp sets and 3 Dimensional Elements in coordinating shapes with your Cricut Artiste Cartridge?  I almost forgot to share the inside of the card, a little cupcake cut out from Artiste (Birthday Girl Button) and stamped with the same set as the front sentiment.  Just a little surprise inside!

 

 

 

I hope you have a beautiful day!

Six Weeks of Halloween - Week 1

I can't believe Halloween is just six weeks away (minus a day).  I also can't believe I wasted a day in bed yesterday with a reaction to my flu shot.  So, this post is a day later than I'd planned.  But, hopefully one day of yuckiness will keep me from having a week of the flu later this winter!

Welcome to Week One of my Six Weeks of Halloween! 

Here are this week's creations, made especially for the Halloween Scrapbooking class I'm teaching at my sons' school this fall.

There are two buttons designated to Halloween on the new Cricut Artiste cartridge.  I love the coffin you can cut out.  I also cut out the spiderweb accent with Artiste.  I used the Perfect Fit-Halloween (B1413) My Acrylix stamp set on the frame and All Hallows Eve (C1462) on the coffin.

I'm planning six weeks of Halloween layouts, decorations and cards, starting TODAY!  Check back the next five Wednesdays to see new Halloween crafts.  And, I'd love to have you join me for one of my Moonlight WOTG classes on 10/9 at 7 PM or on 10/23 at 9 AM.  Contact me today for details!

Fall Layout at the Crop

Such a fun Friday night with my scrapbooking pals!  We worked on a variety of projects until about midnight, when I was literally falling asleep in my ink pads.

Here's the layout I created for the make and take.

I really wasn't sure about the colors at first, but I grew to love it.  I used Close To My Heart's new "how to" book, Make It from Your Heart, Pattern 14.  I just love this book, with 16 layouts and 10 card patterns, it's a steal at just $7.95!

I used Bulk Dakota paper, Avonlea B&T and Honey, Olive and Chocolate Cardstock.  I just used ribbon and embellishments that I had on hand and let everyone add their own "flare" to their layout.

Add my next crop to your calendar, Friday, October 19th (5 p.m. to midnight) for fun, friendship food and another fabulous make and take!

Avonlea Card Workshop

The more I play with a paper pack, the more I love it.  Can you relate?

I've always thought Avonlea was pretty, but I wasn't 100% sold on the card kit, until I did it!  I made a few changes to the sentiments because I'm recently low on sympathy cards and anniversary cards.

Here are the cards we'll be making at my Avonlea card workshop on September 26th:

 

 



Options for the sentiments include: Wishing You Well (on the Sorry for your Loss card) and Just Because I Care (on the Happy Anniversary card).  You'll make five of each card in about two hours, along with chatting and enjoying the company of some great women.

The Workshops on the Go™ Avonlea Cardmaking Kit (includes):

My Acrylix^® Avonlea Cardmaking Workshop (C-size)
Avonlea B&T Duos^® Papers (2 sheets)
Cardstock (4 sheets, various)
Colonial White Cards & Envelopes (15 each)
Slate Epoxy Bubbles (108 pieces)
Grey Organdy Ribbon (5 yards)
Instructional Guide

 

I provide drinks and snacks along with my stamp pads, blocks and tools you'll need to complete the cards.  The card kit is $29.95, but the class and instruction are FREE.  You can order WOTG (G1041) on my website: http://michellejonesva.ctmh.com/ or send me an email.  Please make sure you order by this Friday, 9/14/12 to get the WOTG in time.

 

Like me on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Scrappy-Hour/119683301462528!  Thanks for your support!

Starbreeze Designs Camera Album

Happy Monday!

My dear friend, Laura Petruso, of Starbreeze Designs, created this amazing mini album to be auctioned off for Operation Smile last Spring.  She even got a special compliment from Kristine Whitfeld, CTMH VP of Marketing for her beautiful execution and detail!  Well, I could say that I was just very bighearted and wanted to help a wonderful cause when I kept raising the bids to win it, but really I just HAD to have it!

 

I just love the layered lens that she distressed.  And, she used products in ways I'd never thought of.  Here are a few of the pages inside.  As you can see, her details carry throughout.

Thanks for stopping by to look.  And, thanks to Laura for such inspiring artwork!

Avonlea Mini Album Winner

I felt a little guilty about changing the original "rules" of my Avonlea Mini Album giveaway to include commenters and facebook likers (word?).  So, I decided to give away TWO Mini Albums!

Here's a pic of the hat with all the little names on it:

And the winners of the Avonlea Mini Albums are...

Audrey C and Mosmojo

Congratulations, Audrey and Mosmojo!

I've sent you an email to get your addresses and your Avonlea Mini Albums will be on their way to you tomorrow!

For those who didn't win this contest, thanks for following or commenting on my blog, or for liking my facebook page.  I'll have another Spooktacular giveway coming up for you in October!